After 1989, Prague opened up to the world, and the world began booking rooms. The 1990s brought a wave of hotel construction projects that were meant to symbolize a new era: monumental, self-confident, sometimes ostentatious, sometimes overly modest. From the giant in Karlín to the cable car in Smíchov to the pink butterfly at Želivského. Hotels became not only a place to sleep, but also a manifesto of an era that wanted to be seen. Join us on a trip inspired by the book and exhibition DEVADE on the architecture of the 1990s. Your midweek vacation and daring journey through time is about to begin.
The first harbinger of the new Karlín
Hilton Prague Atrium
Pobřežní 311/1, Prague 8
The largest hotel building in Czechia was built on Rohanské nábřeží as a monument to a turning point between eras. Construction began in the second half of the 1980s on the initiative of Čedok in cooperation with the French organization CBC Paris, making it one of the first major foreign investments in Prague. Designed by Stanislav Franc, Vladimír Fencl, and Jan Nováček, the hotel was completed in 1991 under the name Hotel Atrium, referring to the central atrium with a glass roof that still dominates it today. In 1995, it was taken over by the Hilton chain and has hosted guests such as Barack Obama, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Alanis Morissette, Bill Gates, and more recently Volodymyr Zelensky. From the outside, it looks like a glass cube inspired by La Défense in Paris, while inside, you will be immediately struck by the glass pyramid-shaped roof, the floating installation of rods, and the exposed retro-futuristic elevator capsules running along the sides of the atrium. You won’t know where to look first. The hotel offers 791 rooms and large conference facilities with a main hall for 1,500 people. On the top floor, you will find one of the first rooftop bars in Prague, levitating 40 meters above the Vltava River. You can visit it even if you are not staying at the hotel.
Generous space and light in the leading role. The Hilton Hotel by Stanislav Franc, Vladimír Fencl and Jan Nováček became something of a forerunner of modern Karlín.
Author: Radek Šrettr ÚlehlaHotel for diplomats in Dejvice
Diplomat Hotel Prague
Evropská 15, Prague 6
Within sight of Vítězné náměstí, a new landmark of Evropská Avenue rose in 1990. The design of the hotel for diplomats, delegations and congresses emerged from an architectural competition, with Dušan Bystrický of SPTU Bratislava as the lead architect. Its restrained yet monumental massing, with a touch of Art Deco, offers 400 rooms and an extensive conference centre. The concept of a "diplomatic hotel" is supported by the hotel's location near the diplomatic quarter in Dejvice and its easy access to the airport. The complex includes a fountain with a sculpture by Michal Uher, which was designed as a tribute to his father, the sculptor Rudolf Uher. The hotel later became part of the Vienna House chain and was purchased last year by the PPF Real Estate investment group. You can visit three restaurants here—Loreta for breakfast, the Art Deco-style hotel bar, or the Bistro Grill Diplomat restaurant with a summer terrace.
The Diplomat Hotel (now Vienna House Diplomat Prague) was opened in 1990 as one of the first major hotel projects in post-revolutionary Prague.
Source: Vienna House Diplomat PragueA picturesque hotel beneath Prague Castle
Hotel Hoffmeister
Pod Bruskou 7, Prague 1
Hotel Hoffmeister at Klárov was founded in 1993 by the artistic family of the same name. It stands beneath Prague Castle, right next to the Chotek Gardens; Malostranské Square is just a few minutes’ walk away, as is the Old Town on the opposite bank of the river. Architect Petr Keil gave the building a full-fledged pseudo-Baroque expression: picturesque dormer windows, decorative window surrounds and a tall mansard roof. Within the Prague Heritage Reservation, he chose not to whisper but to speak the language of Malá Strana—Baroque—out loud. Inside, he placed a staircase with a golden railing, crystal chandeliers, large beds, flowered sofas, sturdy armchairs, and heavy curtains. It was as if Baroque had met film set design, where more means better. You can relax here in the private wellness and spa, which offers a whirlpool inspired by ancient Roman baths and several types of saunas, including a steam bath in a medieval cave from the 15th century. Critics spoke of kitsch, Western guests of charm. After 2010, the hotel changed owners. Today, it has a different color scheme and the common areas are unrecognizable. The original postmodern exaggeration and carefully composed whole now feel more like a faded memory of the 1990s.
Hotel Hoffmeister in Malá Strana entered the post-revolutionary 1990s as a family-run business with a strong authorial identity. It was designed by architect Petr Keil.
Author: Radek Šrettr ÚlehlaDancing on Rašínovo nábřeží
Dancing House
Jiráskovo nám. 1981/6, Prague 2
The Dancing House was envisioned by Václav Havel together with architect Vlado Milunić. Both lived in the U Dvou tisíc building, which was adjacent to a vacant lot where a building had been destroyed in an air raid in 1945. They invited Frank O. Gehry to collaborate on the project, and Nationale-Nederlanden (now ING Real Estate) became the investor. One of the most expensive items in the construction process was the Catia computer model, at that time used to design cargo ships and aircraft. Gehry employed it to develop the building’s more or less dramatic forms, verifying their feasibility and construction possibilities with the help of physical models. The interiors were also designed in part by the prominent architect Eva Jiřičná. From the outset, it was clear that the building would be dynamic. It leans over the intersection and symbolizes a society that, after a period of totalitarian stagnation, has set itself in motion again. Havel and Milunić imagined how a new cultural center would be created within sight of Prague Castle, the National Theater, and Mánes. A building that would be a bookstore, a theater, and a bohemian café. Today, part of the building serves as a hotel, with a viewing terrace on top. The ideals were not fulfilled, but the Dancing House remains almost the only post-revolutionary building that tourists in Prague enthusiastically photograph.
The Dancing House, designed by world-renowned architects Vlado Milunić and Frank O. Gehry, was built on Rašínovo nábřeží between 1994 and 1996.
Source: Dancing House HotelCable car in Smíchov
NH Prague City Hotel
Mozartova 261/1, Prague 5
In Smíchov, in Mrázovka Park, there is a hotel that moves. The original Mövenpick Hotel from 1996 (now NH Prague City and NH Collection Prague) connected two buildings with a unique cable car across the hillside. The hotel building was constructed on the site of former apartment buildings that were either destroyed during the war or gave way to the planned construction of the city ring road and the Mrázovka tunnel. After the demolition of the old apartment buildings, the slope with Mrázovka Park was not stabilized. It was therefore necessary to construct a reinforced concrete retaining wall anchored into solid bedrock and to reconstruct the neglected adjoining utility networks. The lower building, with 309 rooms, thus rose from a vast construction pit, while the upper structure sits on the ridge like a lookout point. Between the two buildings, the only hotel cable car of its kind in Central Europe glides quietly. Open to the public, it also serves as a shortcut from Smíchov to Malvazinky. The hotel, designed by Viennese architect Heinz Neumann, was officially opened in June 1996. Among the many invited guests were Karel Gott and the then Mayor of Prague, Jan Koukal.
After the Mövenpick chain left the Czech Republic, the hotel was renamed NH Prague City and NH Collection Prague in October 2012. The hotel buildings are still connected by a unique cable car.
Source: NH Prague CityPink butterfly at Želivského
Don Giovanni Hotel Prague
Vinohradská 2733/157a, Prague 3
Pink stump, cake, kitsch, entrepreneurial baroque, and decadent architecture. Since its inception in 1993–1995, the Don Giovanni Hotel has earned several unflattering nicknames and has been critically evaluated by experts. This monumental postmodern colossus stands by the Želivského metro station on a busy artery near the Olšany Cemeteries. It was designed by architect Ivo Nahálka. The four-sided, pink-tinged building with undulating façades and corner rotundas is meant to evoke both a butterfly and a grand theatre. The hotel is, after all, named after Mozart’s famous opera. Everything here is somewhat literal and exuberantly postmodern. Inside, guests are greeted by a life-size realistic statue of Wolfgang Mozart. In addition, there is a white piano in the lobby and a double staircase lined with silver railings leading upwards. The lounges are named after characters from the Don Giovanni opera. You can also visit the Amadeus Bar, where you can enjoy a piano concert every day from 17:00 to 21:00 in a setting reminiscent of a castle. In 2019, the Scandinavian family fund Wenaasgruppen became the new owner, operated by Czech Inn Hotels. Whether you like it or not, the Don Giovanni Hotel, with its 412 rooms and huge conference facilities, is hard to miss. It can even be seen from Prague Castle. Perhaps it is time to accept it simply as a self-assured imprint of the 1990s.
Architect Ivo Nahálka spoke of his fascination with nature and the universe, passing harsh judgments on minimalism and functionalism. The Don Giovanni Hotel, inspired by the shape of a butterfly, is a perfect example of this.
Author: Radek Šrettr ÚlehlaAn inconspicuous building in the Old Town
Four Seasons Hotel Prague
Veleslavínova 1098/2a, Prague 1
On the banks of the Vltava River, just a few steps from Charles Bridge, the Four Seasons Hotel Prague was completed in 2001 as a seamless union of four buildings of varying size, age and architectural expression. The final design was created by the Dům a město studio, led by architect Jiří Hůrka and architect Vítězslava Rothbauerová, who created a new building so inconspicuous that it is almost indistinguishable from the historic buildings in the surrounding area. Clad in sandstone, with window proportions and cornice heights that respect the context with near-extreme humility, the house neither stands out nor provokes. The five-star hotel with a charming view of Prague Castle has 161 rooms, including 20 spacious suites of the highest standard. It is quiet luxury in every sense—perhaps best enjoyed during a leisurely Sunday brunch in the Italian-style CottoCrudo restaurant.
The Four Seasons Hotel, designed by architects Jiří Hůrka and Vítězslava Rothbauerová, is located on the banks of the Vltava River, close to the Rudolfinum and Charles Bridge.
Author: Radek Šrettr Úlehla